


keep fishing

by liarouge



Category: Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 15:23:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18346382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liarouge/pseuds/liarouge
Summary: The struggle of giving a gift of raw fish to a girl you might like a lot.





	keep fishing

Barrett settled down at his favorite spot in Messhina Valley, sitting himself on the ground by the river. He prepared his bait and cast his line into the water, his shoulders relaxed. He was ready for a quiet afternoon.

Until his ears were disturbed by the sound of footsteps unfortunately approaching his direction.

“Ah, fishing again, Barrett?”

With a sullen look on his face, Barrett craned his head from where he was sitting to see Kyle's friendly face. He was slightly displeased at the sight of the fishing rod Kyle had with him. He shrugged.

“I'm guessing for salmon,” Kyle said.

Two sentences in, and Barrett was already getting annoyed by the chatter. At the very least, his tolerance had improved greatly, compared to the first time Kyle tried to converse with him when he had just moved into town from out of nowhere. He'd resigned himself to the fact Kyle would be here to stay in Alvarna, and reluctantly, maybe the presence of someone who could approach him so easily'd grown on him. “Just need food,” he replied.

“Do you mind if I fish here?”

Another shrug. “As long as you're quiet.”

Kyle thanked him as he took a seat on the ground next to Barrett. He cast his own line into the river, and for a moment, it was pleasantly silent until the farmer just had to start talking again. “Mana wanted some salmon, so that's why I'm here.”

Barrett scoffed. “She's got you whipped, I swear.”

Kyle chuckled. “It's fine. I'm always happy to help, and I don't mind making Mana happy.” He smiled fondly. “It's not work to get things for the people you care about."

Barrett shook his head, and his eyes went back to the river.

“Don't you think Dorothy would be happy if you gave her something?”

Barrett nearly yanked his line out of the water.

“She did mention she likes char,” Kyle continued.

“I knew that already.” When Kyle gave him a knowing smile, Barrett scowled. “Too much of a pain to head out to Blessia.” The island was too hot, too much sand, too many goblins and knives.

“I can see what you mean. But I think when you do take the trouble for someone and make them happy, then that makes everything worth it.”

He shut his eyes, silent. After a pause, he muttered, “Well, not everyone can be like you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Barrett sighed. “I dunno. The big nice guy. Just going around, giving whatever you have on hand to people.” How did he make it look so easy?

Kyle hummed thoughtfully, his eyes looking out at the river where his line was waiting. After a brief lull of silence, Kyle said, “Why not just try, Barrett?” His smile was well-meaning and frustratingly genuine. “You're nicer than you give yourself credit for.”

It was then Kyle got a tug on his line. Barrett watched as Kyle struggled before reeling in a hefty salmon. He held his fish by the tail once it stilled and smiled good-naturedly as Barrett glowered at his catch. “Well, I'll be seeing you.”

Barrett grunted in response, didn't bother to look at him.

He got his peace and quiet back, but instead of being able to enjoy it, he found himself getting frustrated at the number of times his mind would wander. He wouldn't snap back to attention until he felt a tug and found that the fish had already escaped. Barrett scowled at his inability to concentrate, the betrayal of his own mind straying towards Kyle's words. Dammit, it was like talking to Ray whenever he wouldn't stay out of his business and would make his gentle encouragement of whatever feelings he thought—knew Barrett had.

It's only whenever he's alone that he allowed himself to admit to fondness for Dorothy that'd probably been with him since childhood and had been uncomfortably surging more and more over time. He could feel it when Dorothy'd see him around town and nod and say hello to him in her timid way. When she'd sit next to him on the bench in Cherry Blossom Square, never too close to breach his space, but close enough, and they could sit in comfortable silence. Could he really just change how they were now?

The thought of him of all people, reaching out and giving her something.

His body jerked out of his thoughts at the tug he felt on his line, but it was already too late.

\- - -

Barrett had to content himself with the one salmon he'd managed to catch after all that nonsense. As he made his way home and neared the church, he saw Dorothy with Rosalind and Julia standing around outside.

He could've walked on by. He would've. He was going to. He was going to just ignore Rosalind and Julia's chatter, a buffer that repelled him, but his mistake was looking at Dorothy. She always seemed content to quietly listen to her friends talking and occasionally say something herself. But he noticed her turn her head in his direction. Her lips were open slightly, like she was processing that he was coming their way, before they turned up at him in a small smile.

He didn't want to be conscious of his steps slowing down.

“Ah, Barrett. Another day of fishing, I see?” Rosalind called out.

Dammit. He was caught now. His eyes tried not to focus on Rosalind's polite smile, Julia's wrinkled nose at the sight of the fish in his bucket. Trying not to look at Dorothy.

He shrugged. He wasn't about to be pulled into this.

But instead of Julia or Rosalind, it was Dorothy who spoke next. “Y-You… you caught a big one.”

His mouth fell open slightly. “Yeah,” he said.

She smiled again then, like she was really happy for him. “You always… get really g-good catches, i-it's really… umm, well, i-t's amazing, I think.”

“It's just… normal.”

“We were just talking with Dorothy about what to cook for dinner,” Rosalind said. As if it was any of his business.

“Dorothy's having trouble deciding so we're helping her out,” Julia said.

Dorothy's shoulders tensed from the focus turning to her.

He didn't want to join an actual conversation with all three of them, but he felt an obligation to be curious. “Nothing good at home?”

Dorothy squeezed her stuffed doll to her chest. She shook her head. “I-I, umm, w-we j-just have, well, leftovers at home, a-and I was just, just trying to think of what to c-cook next, but…” Her voice trailed off, the way it did when she realized how much she was fumbling, and her mouth pressed shut.

Rosalind and Julia, sensing their friend's discomfort, joined back into the conversation with suggestions. His ears tuned out their voices, looking only at Dorothy. Her head was bowed down, but he could still see the deep red spread over her cheeks.

He's about to do something stupid. He's about to do something stupid, and he's horrified to realize that he couldn't stop himself from doing something stupid.

Barrett reached into his bucket and pulled out the salmon he caught earlier, holding it out to Dorothy. The girls' conversation quickly came to a halt.

He's standing there, holding a fish by the tail, as three women stared at him in utter confusion. It couldn't get more mortifying than this, but at this point,

“You want it?” he said gruffly.

Dorothy seemed to collect herself faster than the other two. “F-For… me?”

“You see me handing it to anyone else?” He's unfortunately conscious of the way Rosalind and Julia quietly huddled to the side to give the two some space, hiding their incredulous looks behind their hands.

“I-It's… it's really big…” Her head tilted up, and that moment he wished he could've seen the way she was looking at him, if it wasn't for her long bangs. But he still remembered the soft, hesitant way she asked, “Is it… really okay for me to have it?”

His words were slow. “I have enough.”

“O-Okay… then… th-… thank you…” The smile returned to her face. “Thank you… so much, Barrett.”

He nodded, “Yeah, bye.” And he quickly went on his way home, couldn't take much more of her friends' scrutiny, couldn't take much more of Dorothy's smile inducing him to do anything else foolish.

He got home, slamming the door behind him. His father was about to scold him until he saw the furious red of his son's face. He watched as Barrett stormed up the stairs, before hearing another door slam.

\- - -

She was waiting for him outside the next morning.

Her back was to him as she faced the bright ocean. When he called out to her, she jerked straight, startled, before whirling around to meet his eyes.

“B-Barrett.”

He nodded to her, and she pursed her lips, her fingers fumbling with the lunch box in her hands, with Fern nestled in the crook of her arm, before she gulped.

“The, the salmon… it was really, really good…! Father and Cammy liked it, a-and I did too… So, I… wanted to say thank you.”

How is it that in the span of a blink his face's filled with irritating heat. “It's no big deal.”

“I… I saved some of it to make sashimi.” She held out the box to him. “Th-this… it's for you.”

He took it, murmured a quiet thanks.

When he sat in Cherry Blossom Square to partake in it, he found he couldn't remember the last time he actually enjoyed eating anything this much, to the point he was actually disappointed when he reached the last piece.

He saw Dorothy on the way home later and returned the box to her.

“It was good. I liked how you cut it.”

Her face reddened, but she giggled softly, out of joy and relief.

There was one time, long ago, his mother told him the way into anyone's heart was through their stomach. She had said that with a laugh while preparing dinner, full of his father's favorites.

It annoyed him how much it rang true now.

\- - -

Some days later, he headed to the pier, his fishing rod slung over his shoulder. To his chagrin, Kyle was already boarding the boat for Blessia. Kyle gave him a friendly hello.

“You're going to Blessia, right?” Barrett asked.

When Kyle nodded, Barrett sighed and closed his eyes. He stayed like that for a moment before saying, “I have something to do there, so do you… mind letting me on the boat too? …Don't say a damn word, wipe that stupid smile off your face.”

\- - -

God, why did her friends have to be there?

After he got off the boat, he was gathering his resolve to hand over the two chars he'd fished up at Blessia to Dorothy (Kyle had chuckled and wished him good luck and Barrett told him to shut up).

It's just Dorothy. She's not any threat, but the way his heart wouldn't stop pounding felt like otherwise.

Once he stepped into De-Sainte Coquille Square, any resolve he had dropped to the floor at the sight of Dorothy with Rosalind and Julia, _again_ , standing around together by the fountain, chatting, laughing.

He refused to put himself through the mortification of giving Dorothy a fish in front of those two again.

What were his options? Wait around for her friends to leave? Bad. Go home and save the char to give to her the next day? That's not great, he didn't want to actually keep it around and wait around for another opportunity. Suck it up and just give it to her in front of her friends, again? He'd rather die.

It's as he was mulling that he heard Julia announce, unnecessarily louder than needed, “Oh, I guess we'd better get going~! We'll talk to you later, Dorothy!”

Julia hooked her arm with Rosalind's, and the two went off. Dorothy seemed slightly confused but hurriedly waved them goodbye. Julia and Rosalind walked away with matching quick steps, throwing a glance in unmistakably his direction before giggling. Barrett's not sure if he felt better or worse.

And when Dorothy looked away from her friends scurrying off, turning her head in his direction, he could see the way she paused upon seeing him. He froze in place.

She seemed to need a moment to recognize that he's standing there, but then she gave him a shy smile, hesitantly waving at him.

He was trapped now. Barrett took a deep breath, tried to summon back his resolve as he walked towards her, feeling like the rushed beat of his heart could give on him at any moment. Don't walk too fast, don't look too desperate, don't look _desperate_.

When he finally stood before her, they were quiet. He watched the way she fidgeted as she held her doll and cast her gaze downwards. “H-… Hi, Barrett…”

He nodded, then felt a bit ridiculous realizing she wouldn't have really noticed that. “Hey.”

He could see that she was looking towards the bucket he held. This would be as good a time as any.

Barrett sucked in his breath before holding the bucket out to her.

“It's char.”

Dorothy lifted her head, bewildered. Barrett tried to maintain a straight face, even as his face itched from being aflame.

“O-Oh, oh…? Umm… a-are these from… the island…?”

“Yeah.” When she stayed quiet, he blurted out and immediately regretted saying, “There a problem?”

She shook her head quickly, clutching Fern tighter to her. “N-No! I-I… well, I thought, uh, y-you didn't really… you… don't like going to Blessia…?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “I just… felt like it this time.”

They were quiet again, and there was silence, save for the water flowing in the fountain. Barrett looked off to the side.

“You… like these, right?” His words were tinged with uncertainty. He couldn't look at her directly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Yeah… I-I… I love it!” Her smile was wider than he'd remember seeing it in a long time.

When he looked at how much her smile brightened her face, he could only wonder what her eyes looked like under her bangs at that moment. He remembered they were red, but it was a faraway childhood memory of when things were simpler, better. God, how could he have forgotten. If he reached his hands out to push her hair away from her eyes, if he could see the glimmer of sunlight in them. He'd never wanted to see anything as badly as he wanted to see the way she looked at him.

His heart was hammering, but it's different. It's different from when he'd argue and blow up at his father, annoyance and regret that remained and pulsed through him with each beat. It's going rapid, like it wanted to escape, like it's desperate to escape—but he felt light, like he just breathed fresh air for the first time in a while.

It's not all bad.

“Th-thank you.” Her voice just above a whisper, happy.

He was being a fool.

And when he looked at the way her face lit up, her voice lit up, her smile radiating a glow that reached deep inside of him to something he yearned for, he knew he was doomed to be a fool.

\- - -

Years of marriage later, people would still poke fun at them for bonding over fish as much as they did.

He didn't have much time to go out fishing anymore, what with work and taking care of his son and wife. Alvarna was as peaceful as he loved. On his days off, he'd still go out to Messhina or the pier or even occasionally Blessia and bring something home. Dorothy's face still beamed whenever he brought home his catches for dinner (to their concern, their son was less enthusiastic about the frequent seafood). Once in a while, when they're both off work, they'd go out together to fish, and Dorothy would lay her head on his shoulder, and they're quiet, they're at peace.

True, not many people considered a gift of raw fish to be a romantic gesture.

But she did. And she was all that mattered.


End file.
